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Bordentown
Twp. – A new, cooperative law enforcement
effort between five towns in Northern Burlington
County designed to combat drunk driving,
will begin this weekend and continue through
Labor Day, Division of Highway Traffic Safety
Director Pam Fischer announced today.
This unique effort allows five towns (Bordentown
Twp., Bordentown City, Mansfield Twp., Chesterfield
Twp., and N. Hanover Twp.) to share law
enforcement resources for drunk driving
saturation patrols throughout the northern
portion of the county. Under the initiative,
officers from all five jurisdictions will
have the ability to stop and arrest drunk
drivers in any of the participating towns
in the region. The cooperative program will
also enhance the efforts of the smaller
towns to apprehend drunk drivers by increasing
law enforcement visibility.
“By pooling resources, law enforcement
agencies in these towns are sending a strong
message that there’s zero tolerance
for drunk driving,” Fischer said.
“We know that one-third of all fatal
crashes in our State involve alcohol, and
that drunk driving is the number one concern
of New Jersey motorists. This effort will
help law enforcement more effectively address
this critical issue, and ultimately, save
lives.”
In 2007, 165 drunk driving arrests were
made in the five participating towns, which
share the Route 130 corridor. (Arrest numbers
by town were: Bordentown Twp., 81; Bordentown
City, 24; Mansfield, 26; Chesterfield, 22;
and N. Hanover, 12.)
“By
working with our neighboring municipalities
on this cooperative effort, we are able
to maximize our resources to keep drunk
drivers off the roads,” Bordentown
Township Police Chief Frank Nucera said.
“I would like to thank the police
chiefs from the municipalities participating
in this new program for their support. I’m
confident that working together, we can
further enhance our efforts to keep all
motorists safe.”
Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi
commended the task force for taking measures
to keep local roadways safe.
"This
enforcement effort will likely save lives
and prevent tragedies from occurring,"
said Prosecutor Bernardi. "Society
benefits whenever a dangerous act or crime
is averted through pro-active law enforcement."
Fischer
also noted that motorists can help law enforcement
throughout the State to combat drunk driving
this Summer, by taking personal responsibility
for the decisions they make before getting
behind the wheel.
“Drunk
driving prevention really begins with each
of us,” Fischer said. “Even
a small amount of alcohol can impair your
judgment and slow your reaction time. If
you’re going out and plan to drink,
make sure you have a designated driver,
use public transportation or call a cab.
By doing this, you become part of the solution
for keeping our roads safe, and not the
problem.”
The
initiative is funded through a $26,000 grant
from the Division of Highway Traffic Safety.
Additional information on drunk driving
prevention efforts, as well as related traffic
safety programs, is available on the Division’s
web site at www.njsaferoads.com
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